Indicted St. John Judge Jeff Perilloux heads to court as defendant

Indicted St. John the Baptist Parish district court Judge Jeff Perilloux, who has been formally suspended by the Louisiana Supreme Court, is scheduled to return to court July 19 as a defendant to enter a plea on charges that he sexually assaulted three teenaged girls.

Perilloux, 51, has denied the allegations. He is currently out of jail under a $35,000 bond set by retired New Orleans criminal court Judge Dennis Waldron, who will also oversee the court proceedings for Perilloux's arraignment.

A St. John parish grand jury indicted Perilloux on three felony counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile and one count of misdemeanor sexual battery on June 25.

The alleged incidents are said to have occurred last year in St. John Parish, and involve three different victims, according to the indictment.

Perilloux took a voluntary leave of absence in May when the Louisiana State Police investigation of him became public.

After the indictment, he filed a joint motion with the state Judiciary Commission for "interim disqualification" from his judicial duties pending the outcome of the criminal charges.

The formal suspension, which allows Perilloux to continue to draw a salary, was made June 29, according to Louisiana Supreme Court documents.

Waldron, who retired from the bench in 2008, was appointed by the state Supreme Court following the recusal of Perilloux's 40th Judicial District colleagues.

Perilloux is one of only three district judges in St. John who oversee the criminal, civil, traffic juvenile, family and probate docket for the 40th Judicial District Court in Edgard. He was elected in 2016 to the Division B seat.

Division A Judge Madeline Jasmine and Division C Judge Sterling Snowdy recused themselves from the court proceedings, as did ad hoc Judge Mary Hotard Becnel who was appointed by the Supreme Court in May to take over Perilloux's docket.

The state Attorney General's office is prosecuting the case because St. John District Attorney Bridget Dinvaut recused her office.

Perilloux was an assistant district attorney for more than a decade prior to being elected to the bench.

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Littice Bacon-Blood covers education, crime, business trends, neighborhoods, public policy and serendipity in Jefferson Parish and the River Parishes for NOLA.com | The Times Picayune. Reach her at lbacon-blood@nola.com or 504-258-7310. Follow her on Twitter @LBaconBlood.